BILL NUMBER: SB 566 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 13, 2000
AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 11, 2000
AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 3, 2000
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 7, 1999
INTRODUCED BY Senator Escutia
(Principal coauthor: Senator Hughes)
FEBRUARY 19, 1999
An act to add Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 124950) to Part 4
of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to
school health programs, and making an appropriation therefor.
school health programs.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 566, as amended, Escutia. School health centers.
Existing law includes various programs to provide primary health
care services to the people of California. Existing law also
provides health care services and health coverage to families and
children meeting specified requirements through the Medi-Cal and
Healthy Families programs.
This bill would require the State Department of Health Services to
develop and establish a licensure
certification program for school health centers, and would
require the centers to promote enrollment of eligible students in the
Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs as a condition of
licensure certification . The bill would
establish the School Health Center Grant Program to provide grants to
qualifying certified school health
centers , as defined, in order to assist the
centers in becoming licensed as community clinics, and would
appropriate $2,000,000 from the General Fund for this purpose
providing health services to students, provided that
funds for this purpose are provided in the annual Budget Act .
The bill would also require the department to establish a study
group, with specified membership, to explore long-term strategies for
the support of school health centers, and the incorporation of these
centers into a coordinated, comprehensive health care system.
Vote: 2/3 majority .
Appropriation: yes no . Fiscal
committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 124950) is added to
Part 4 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER 8. SCHOOL HEALTH CENTERS
124950. (a) The State Department of Health Services shall develop
and establish, by regulation, a licensure program for school health
centers.
(b) The certification program established by the department
under this chapter does not create any new mandates for schools or
school health centers. Certification shall be optional for school
health centers. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a school from
providing health services, or from providing these services in a
manner that does not meet the certification standards established by
this chapter, provided that the school complies with all other
applicable laws and requirements. However, certification shall be a
requirement for a school health center to receive state grant funds
pursuant to this chapter.
(c) The licensure certification
program established by the department under this chapter may
include more than one licensure certification
category. In order to qualify for the highest category of
licensure certification offered by the
department, a school health center that does not
shall offer a full range of primary care services
shall cooperate with or cooperate with one or more
licensed clinics, hospitals, or other larger health systems, to
ensure that all necessary primary and preventative care services are
provided.
(c)
(d) As a requirement of licensure
certification , each school health center shall establish
methods of promoting enrollment of eligible students in the Medi-Cal
program (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of
Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) and the Healthy
Families Program (Part 6.2 (commencing with Section 12693) of
Division 2 of the Insurance Code). The department shall establish
guidelines to encourage school health centers to work with health
plans to develop appropriate cooperative arrangements for assistance
in achieving this objective, to the extent permitted by state and
federal law.
(d) No services may be provided to any child unless the parents or
guardian of the child have filed written consent with the school
district.
(e) All certified school health centers shall establish policies
and procedures to ensure compliance with all legal requirements
regarding parental consent for providing medical treatment to minors.
124952. (a) The School Health Center Grant Program is hereby
established, under which grants shall be made to qualifying
certified school health centers for the purpose
of assisting those centers in becoming licensed as community
clinics. For purposes of the grant program, a qualifying school
health center is one that has entered into a partnership or other
cooperative arrangement with a licensed clinic, hospital, university,
or other larger health system. delivering health
services to students.
(b) The grant program shall be administered by the director and
officers and employees of the department as he or she may designate.
(c) The sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) is hereby
appropriated from the General Fund to the department for the purpose
of funding the School Health Center Grant Program.
(c) This section shall become operative only if funds for its
purposes are appropriated in the annual Budget Act.
124954. (a) The department shall establish a study group to
explore long-term strategies for the support of school health
centers, and for the incorporation of the centers into a coordinated,
comprehensive health care system. Members of the study group shall
be appointed by the director or his or her designee, and shall
include, but not be limited to, representatives of each of the
following:
(1) The Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board.
(2) The Medi-Cal program.
(3) The State Department of Education.
(4) The State Department of Mental Health.
(5) Community clinics.
(6) Managed care.
(7) School health centers.
(b) On or before January 1, 2002, the study group shall report its
findings and recommendations to the health and education committees
of the Legislature.